Martin fuchs is ambitious. He believes that the building permit for the 380 kv line running through the coburg region could be obtained by mid-2014; in view of the one and a half years that clearing and construction would probably take, completion would thus be possible by the end of 2015 – just in time for the shutdown of the grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant.
The chairman of the management board of the nationwide network operator "tennet" but he is also realistic: "i know that we won't be able to draw lots of joy where we are going with the road." But martin fuchs also sees himself as an expert on the complicated energy market – and as such, he is convinced that "anyone who is in favor of the energy turnaround must also be in favor of grid expansion." And: "the opponents can come with many arguments – but not with the fact that the new line from altenfeld to redwitz is not necessary."
During all these statements at a reception held by the coburg chamber of industry and commerce (IHK) on tuesday evening, the guests listened very intently, and most of them even nodded in agreement.
"Crackpot expert opinion
One guest, however, had a lot on his mind – and it had to come out: "the question of the necessity of this route is not yet off the table for me", said susann biedefeld, a member of the state parliament for the SPD, and referred in this context to the corresponding report by professor jarass. While martin fuchs very objectively tried to refute the five-year-old jarass report, IHK president friedrich herdan summed up his opinion more clearly: "this report is harebrained!"
In his speech, herdan had said that a new power line was of "fateful importance" for the economic area of coburg. Because there is a lot of manufacturing and therefore energy-intensive industry here. But what happens if the energy turnaround does not succeed and the "electricity price spiral" continues? Further up the hill?
Herdan made it very clear: "this line must be built." Where there are still doubts, "conviction must be sated" are. And that's exactly what martin fuchs tried to do, by first clearing up a few common prejudices. First, the new line is not only needed to bring wind energy generated on the north sea to bavaria. On the one hand, it's also a question of being able to connect the remaining power plants well. On the other hand, the already existing remptendorf-redwitz route urgently needs to be relieved. He compared it to a freeway, on which there is constant congestion: "it is no solution to simply build another lane – it is better to create new traffic routes and not to overburden the existing ones." Likewise, the entire power grid in germany must be made more efficient.
No risk of power failure
Martin Fuchs kept referring to "power safety" in this context and made it clear why the risk of a power outage in germany has to be kept as low as possible. "The effects of a power outage were dramatic", he said, both for the economy and for all private households. And when he had said this for about the fifth time, he followed it up with a winking explanation: "my job is to paint the devil on the wall – otherwise they'll nail me to the wall."
The tennet boss even understands that many residents in particular see the line itself as something like the devil. But he also made it clear last night that, in his opinion, there is no alternative due to the politically desired energy turnaround. "We're well ahead in renewables, but we're massively behind in grid expansion and reserve power plants."
"Costs are overestimated"
Martin Fuchs tried to allay the concern that the construction of the new line will cost a lot of money and therefore also cause electricity prices to rise further: "the expansion of the grid is being cost-moderately overestimated." As an example, he came back to the so overloaded remptendorf-redwitz route. At the moment, so much and so often regulatory intervention is required that unnecessary costs of a good 150 million euros are being incurred. This was also roughly the cost of building the new and relieving road from altenfeld through the coburg region to redwitz.
Fuchs concluded: "this route is urgently needed." Different variants had been offered, but now the choice was: "closer to the burgers – or to the gray herons"?"
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